Hesperidin suppresses ovalbumin-induced airway inflammation in a mouse allergic asthma model

Hesperidin, a flavanone glycoside comprised of the flavanone hesperetin and the disaccharide rutinose, is a plentiful and inexpensive by-product of citrus cultivation. It has been reported to exert a wide range of pharmacological effects that include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic properties. In this study, we attempt to determine whether hesperidin inhibits inflammatory mediators in the mouse allergic asthma model. Mice were sensitized and challenged by ovalbumin (OVA) to induce chronic airway inflammation and airway remodeling. The administration of hesperidin significantly decreased the number of infiltrating inflammatory cells and Th2 cytokines in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid compared with the OVA-induced group of mice. In addition, hesperidin reduced OVA-specific IgE levels in serum. Hesperidin markedly alleviated the OVA-induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to inhaled methacholine. Based on lung histopathological studies using hematoxylin and eosin and alcian blue-periodic acid-Schiff staining, hesperidin inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration and mucus hypersecretion compared with the OVA-induced group of mice. These findings provide new insight into the immunopharmacological role of hesperidin in terms of its effects in a murine model of asthma.